Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-04-15
INGERSOLL ON McGLYNN.
The Great POsitivist's Opinion of a
Noted Controversy.

cnurch IN Dr. NJ Glvnn'S case Is con-
sistent with the history and constitu-
ton of the Catholic church-perfectly
consistent with its ends, its objects
and its means-and just as perfectly
inconsistent with intellectual liberty
and the real civilization of the human
lace. When a man becomes Catho-
lie priest he has been convinced that
he ought not to think for himself upon
religious questions. He has become
convinced that the church is the only
teacher-that he has right. to think
only to enforce its teachings. From
that moment he is moral machine.
The chief engineer resides at Rome,
and he gives his orders through GER
tain assistant engineers until the one
is reached who turns the crank, and
the machine has nothing tv do, one
way or the other. The machine is
paid for giving up his liberty, by hav-
ing machines under him who have
also given up theirs. While somebody
else turns his crank, he has the pleas
ure of turning crank belonging to
somebody below him.
OF course the Catholic church is
supposed to be the only perfect insti-
tuition on the earth. All others are
not only imperfect, but unnecessary.
All others have been made either by
man, or by the devil, OF by partner
nership-and consequently cannot be
depended upon for the civilization of
man.
The Catholic church gets its power
directly from God, and is the only in
stitution now In the world founded
by God. There was never any others
SO far as I know, except polygamy and
slavery and crude kind of monarchy
and they have been, for the most part,
abolished.
What right has q priest to 60 into
the thinking businessi He must kiss
the toe of the pope-and even q corn
on that toe has far better right to
think than he. And any one who
has bowed to this authority can only
regain his independence by open re-
volt. p - So -'-s
The Catholic church must be true
to itself. It must claim everything,
and get what it can. It alone is in-
fallible. It alone has all the wisdom
of this world. 1t alone has the right
to exist. All other interests are Sec
ondary. To be . Catholic is of the
first importance. Human liberty ia
nothing. Wealth, position, food,
clothing reputation, happiness--all
these are less than worthless compared
with what the Catholic church prom
ises to the man who will throw all
these away.
A priest much preach, what his
bishop tells him. A bishop must
preach what his archbishop tells him.
The Pope must preach what he says
God tells him.
DR.. McGlynn cannot make a com.
promise with the Catholic church. II
never compromises when it is in the
minority. Now and then I riest or a
member who wishes to do q little
thinking for himself-one who wishes
TO have . little freedom-says to the
Catholic church as the rooster did to
the horse: Let US agree not to ster
on each others feet;" but the church
never makes the agreement.
I do not mean by this that the Cath
olic church is worse than any other
All are alike in this regard. Every
sect, no matter how Insignificant
every church, no matter how power.
full, asks precisely the same thing
from every member-that is to say, a
surrender Of intellectual freedom. The
Catholic church wants the same as the
Baptist, the Presbyterian and the
Methodist-it wants the whole earth
It is ambitious to be the one supreme
power. It hopes to see the world upon
its knees, with all its tongues thrust
out for waters. It has the arrogance
Of humility and the ferocity of uni
versal forgiveness. In this respect il
resembles every sect. Every religion
is system of slavery.
| Of course the religionists say thai
they do not believe in persecution
that they do not believe in burning
and hanging and whipping, or loading
| with chains o man simply because hi
is an infidel. They are willing x
leave all this with God, knowing tina,
being of infinite goodness will inflict
all these horrors and tortures upon al
honest man who differs with thu
church.
In case DR.. McGlynn is deprived o
his priestly functions, it is hard to say
what effect it viii have upon hi
church and the labor party in thi
country. 80 49,.
| So long as man believes that
church has eternal joy in store fo
him, 80 long as he believes that .
church holds within it's hand the key
of heaven and he'll, it win be hard Il
make him trade off the hope of ever
lasting happiness for a few goot
clothes and q little good food ant
higher wages here. He finally think
that after all he had better work fol